Light through the Shadows
by Moonstar5569
Summary: PostPP. DxS. Contains OCs. Upon entering Silvertia, an apparently safe ghost town, Danny, Sam and Tucker realize soon that not all is what it seems. Will they find their way out or be slaughtered in the clutches of Silvertia's deceased townsfolk?
1. Arrival

_A/N: I've been having this idea for almost a year now, people, thinking about it over and over in my dreams every single night for at least a few hours. Don't know why, but it's been bugging me ever since I've watched this GREAT movie called "Silent Hill..."_

_So this story's based off of that. (Note that it's the movie, NOT THE GAMES.)_

_Oh yeah, and keep in mind that this Fic is after PP, although I don't really think that it's important whether or not it is... Yet._

_I've rewritten this at least 5 times, making different versions of everything, messing around with the names and all. Originally, this story was actually supposed to start off like it will now, but I've thought it over a few (well, more than a few, actually...) times and thought that it would be better if Team Phantom started off on a school field trip and wandered off from the group when the bus broke down... I mean, it makes more sense than this. But then I decided that I was too __**remarkably**__ lazy to change anything, so I'll get to that when I feel like it._

_In the meantime..._

_Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN DANNY PHANTOM._

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_**Chapter One - Arrival**_

"…So tell me again why we're all going to this Silvertia place," inquired Danny, in his ghost form, looking questionably at Sam. He was leaning behind her seat in the Specter Speeder, bored half to death with Tucker, who was driving, always getting lost to the way to "Silvertia."

"'Cause," Sam started, "It's a great chance to meet some of your own kind that's _not_ in the Ghost Zone!"

Danny's expression did not change.

"Besides, we didn't lie to our parents about going on a camping trip for nothing," she added.

"You know, she has a point," Tucker buzzed in, smiling.

"Just keep your mouth shut and your eyes on the road, Tucker," Danny groaned, now swaying his spectral tail repeatedly.

Tucker made a face, but endured on his driving.

"Oh, come on, Danny! Silvertia's the best ghost town in the world!" Sam said again, actually in a pleasant tone.

"Is that supposed to be a good thing?"

Sam sighed.

"Danny, stop being so down. It would be a great experience for us, seeing all the cracked walls, and decaying buildings, and blood… blood splattered everywhere! And maybe we could even find out why Silvertia became a ghost town in the first place."

"I guess…" Danny said, no hint of emotion whatsoever in his voice. "Well then when are we going to get there? I mean, it shouldn't take that long to—"

"We're here!" Tucker suddenly exclaimed, bringing the Specter Speeder to an immediate halt and sending Danny, as weightless as he is in ghost form, ramming against the front window.

"Ow!" he yelled, rubbing his head.

"You know, next time you want to go out of the Speeder, you might want to take the door," Tucker joked, chuckling.

"Ugh… Very funny, Tuck." Danny shot a glance.

"Stop fooling around, guys! C'mon!"

The girl ran off to explore the city.

The two boys looked at each other once more before exiting the Speeder to witness Silvertia for the first time. But what they saw did not amaze them at all…

Fog. Everywhere. Tons and tons of billowing haze surrounding them, covering up everything in view.

"Sam?" Danny called out into the fog, his emerald green eyes looking for the Goth. All the haze was so thick, they could be easily separated.

"Danny?" came a reply, "Where are you?"

"I'm by the Speeder! Where are _you_?"

"I'm by a wall!"

"What?"

"I'm by a wall!"

"Where's the wall?"

"How should I know?"

Danny sighed.

_I'd better go look for Sam now, _he thought. He turned to face Tucker.

"Tucker, I'm going to—"

"Ok, I'll stay here with the Specter Speeder. Just go find Sam and come back before something wanders back here!" Tucker replied before Danny could finish.

With that, the ghost boy sped off in search of Sam.

However, even with his glowing, bright eyes they failed to detect any sign of the girl, and the fog seemed to dense even more.

"Sam?" he called out once more. Any louder and he would probably unleash a Ghostly Wail…

_That's it! _He thought, _my Ghostly Wail! She could probably hear me if I did that…_

Danny ceased his flying and landed his feet onto the cracked road. He took a deep breath and waited for all the energy to get into his lungs. And then he unleashed his most fearsome power, but only for a few seconds.

The Wail roared and echoed, sending massive amounts of sound and waves into the air. When it stopped, Danny took a few moments to catch his balance and restore his energy. Then he waited for Sam.

Soon after, he heard footsteps coming from the North. And he saw a figure running towards him.

"Danny!" yelled Sam.

"Sam!" yelled Danny.

Sam sped up her pace, while Danny flew as quickly as a bullet over to the Goth girl.

"Why'd you wander off so quickly?" asked Danny.

"I… I don't know," Sam admitted. "I think I just got carried away, I guess…"

"Well, c'mon, we have to go back to Tuck; he's probably scared to death with his fear of snakes coming to get him," Danny chuckled.

"You left him alone?" Sam suddenly spat, surprising the boy.

"Um… yeah, why?"

"Danny… Ugh, just go back, fast!"

As commanded, Danny speedily grabbed Sam and flew back to where the Speeder was supposed to be.

But it wasn't there. And neither was Tucker.

The two looked around them, awaiting for Tucker to spring out of nowhere and surprise them, saying it was all a joke, but none came to them.

"…And _that's _why you shouldn't leave him alone!" Sam said again.

"Um… sorry?" Danny apologized.

The Goth sighed.

"Let's just go look for Tucker then,"

Sam started walking towards the fog again, making sure that she would go only straight ahead so that she wouldn't get lost. Danny agreed promptly with her and started following close behind.

-----

However, in the hidden protection of her silent corridor, someone was watching carefully at the two teens.

She spoke at a whisper, her hoarse voice barely audible and dry.

Her eyes were drenched a horrifyingly red color, and her pupils, black as the night.

Silently she raised her right arm to point in a direction.

"_Send them out,"_

And the Shadows did what they were told.

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_A/N: Worst. Chapter. Ever. (Yeah hard to say since it's the **first chapter**, though...) It'll probably get better as I go along, hopefully..._

_Constructive critism and comments are greatly appreciated! Tell me anything you like, dislike, or just plain HATE. Also, include any mistakes you've seen so far!_

_Next chapter will be up ASAP! (Although I'm usually busy, so...)_

_**Moonstar5569**_


	2. Only Getting Started

_A/N: Enjoy reading!_

_Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN DANNY PHANTOM. BOO._

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_**Chapter Two – Only Getting Started**_

They both gasped, wide-eyed, as they entered the infamous Silvertia for the first time ever. Cracked roads and walls, blood and plaque splattered ubiquitously, buildings that, well, didn't even look like buildings at all, and a gloomy and solemn mist to top it all off. It was all here.

"W-Wow…" Sam muttered, gazing at the "sights" surrounding her. Danny was rather disgusted.

"Um… Sam?" he asked.

The girl didn't reply.

"Sam?" he repeated.

Still no answer. She seemed to be daydreaming…

"SAM???"

"Huh? What???" she finally answered.

"We should be looking for Tucker, not admiring Silvertia's… um… shadowy… ness."

"Oh, yeah, right…" Sam admitted. "Where do we go first?"

Danny was baffled also. They had no map, and although the fog had lifted a bit they could still get somewhat lost, not to mention Silvertia's a _ghost_ town filled with dangerous _ghosts_.

"Um…" Danny started, "I don't really know…"

Sam sighed.

"Well there should be a directory or something around here, right…?" Sam suggested, raising her arms.

"Uh… Maybe?" Danny replied. Sam looked at him. "Oh! Right! I'll… go look now…" Danny sped away quickly, but Sam grabbed him by the tail.

"Wait!" she exclaimed. She pulled the ghost boy closer to her. "We can't leave each other or we could end up like Tucker! I'll have to come with you." Sam let go of his tail. The girl started walking across the wide street, constantly looking around for some sort of a map. Danny followed close behind.

"Sam, we could get lost…" Danny warned. He lit up his eyes so he could see through the fog.

"And that's why we need the map!" Sam replied.

"But we could get lost trying to find the map."

"Danny, I don't think we could get lost…" Sam said, speeding up her pace.

"How do you know?" the ghost boy replied, swaying his spectral tail rhythmically as he flew to keep up with Sam.

"Because we're not going to go very far."

"But if we're not going very far, then how will we find the map?"

"…Because it's right here!" Sam yelled out, rushing towards a light pole right in front of her. On the side was a pinned piece of paper, with ripped edges and yellow sides. It was barely legible.

Sam took the pin out and dropped it onto the ground. She took out the paper, which was obviously the directory, and glanced at it. Danny flew behind her and peered over.

"It says we're on…" she looked at it closer, "Trinity Road."

"And...?" Danny asked.

"_And _we came from..." she traced her finger on a line, "...Westview Boulevard."

"Ok, now we got the map, so now what do we do?" Danny questioned.

"Uh... I don't know; just start looking around!" Sam suggested. She ran off and Danny flew close behind. The duet walked slowly, stopping every now and then to glance at their surroundings.

Then they had arrived at an intersection, and Sam looked at the map.

"Sinclair Street or Rustover Lane?" Sam asked Danny.

"Um... doesn't matter. We should just look for Tuck and then go home."

"Go home?"

"Yeah, go home. I mean, if Tucker's already missing the first few minutes we got here, then I don't know what'll happen if we stay here more than an hour or two..."

"What about our parents?"

"We could always tell them that our camp got cut short,"

Sam sighed.

"Fine,"

Suddenly a voice crossed their ears.

"_Outsiders! Everyone, to the church!"_

Danny and Sam spun around. Behind them, weren't ghosts, no, but instead, _people_, lots of them, running towards a small building that could barely be seen.

They seemed terrified; their clothes torn almost completely, blood and filth in every corner of their bodies, and their hair long, uncombed, and tangled.

Not to mention they were all _armed._

"Uh... Sam?" Danny questioned.

"Run," Sam quickly said as she jolted out of the area, Danny swiftly following close behind. As soon as the ghost boy caught up to her, he picked her up and descended across the earth, heading to a random building and landing.

Danny peered over a window of which the building possessed.

"Sam..." Danny started. He stared wide-eyed at the sight.

"What a rip-off," Sam grunted.

"Excuse me-- What?"

"I thought this was a ghost town, meaning it was _deserted._" She complained, crossing her arms across her chest. She leaned against a wall.

"M-Maybe they're tourists," Danny implied. Sam scoffed.

"_Tourists?_ I'm telling you, Danny, you come up with the _craziest _ideas..."

Danny watched as the Goth scampered over to another area.

"It could happen..." Danny silently murmured, looking away.

Sam sighed.

"Well, let's get back to looking for the missing techno-geek here..."

The girl walked away quietly, pushing a door in front of her out. She entered a hallway that seemed to have various posters and signs up on the walls, most of them having a yellow tint. Sam walked over to one.

"School Dance - Friday, October 28th..." she read. "Figures. We're in a school."

"Great. Now we're going to have to take _summer school_," Danny joked. Sam ignored him, reading on,

"All participants must have correct I.D. registered by October 20th. The dance will be held in the gymnasium in room 124 at 7:00 pm..." Sam squinted her eyes to read the rest, but failed. "I can't tell what comes next... It'd all blurred out by this... black... stuff..." she moved her fingers over the "black stuff" and rubbed it. It seemed like ash.

"Well... Why are you reading that poster anyway? C'mon, we have to find Tucker! As far as we know, he might've even been taken by those crazy people out there..." Danny urged, starting to fly away carefully. But Sam stayed in tact.

"Wait a minute..." Sam muttered. The she turned around to look at Danny. "We have to go to the gym, now." She said.

"Uh... Why?" the ghost boy asked, confused. "You think Tucker's in _there_? Sam, I thought you knew that Tucker _hates_ --"

"I don't think Tucker's in there!" Sam replied rather coldly. She looked into Danny's emerald eyes, glowing in the darkness. He looked away. Sam calmed down, taken back even by her own comment. "Well, what I mean by that is..."

"I know, Sam. Let's just go," Danny flew away, looking for the gym. He didn't even bother to look back at her.

She sighed. Mistake one. _But why'd I even yell at Danny like that?_ Sam thought,_ He wasn't annoying me or getting me mad at all! And Danny seemed to get upset somewhat easily back there..._

Sam shook the thoughts out of her mind. _No time to think about that..._

She thrust after the ghost boy and joined him in his search.

-----

A few minutes later, the duo had found room #124: the gym. Carefully, they slowly pushed open the deceased door and peered inside the room.

...Darkness.

"I can't see!" Sam whispered.

"I can," Danny answered.

"How? It's so dark, I mean no windows or --"she caught him staring at her with bright, glowing green eyes.

"Oh," she admitted.

Danny didn't say anything after that. He was just staring at what Sam couldn't see.

"What's in there, Danny?" she inquired. No response came from him.

"Danny?"

"Uh..." he hesitated, his voice shaking.

"Danny!"

"Y-You might not want to know..."

"C'mon, I'm going to find out sooner or later..."

"Ok, fine..." Danny took a deep breath and put his eyes on Sam. "Dead... people."

"'_Dead people'?_" Sam repeated, raising an eyebrow. The ghost boy nodded. She silently chuckled, but decided to play along. "How many?"

Danny quickly turned around to look back into the gymnasium. A minute or two later, he glanced back at Sam, answering,

"174."

"Huh... Really?" Sam questioned, not believing him.

"No, I guessed," Danny admitted before adding, "But it really was a lot of bodies in there..."

"Ugh... Could you just light up the place?" Sam moaned.

Danny hesitated before answering.

"Sure," Danny said, charging up an ectoplasmic light and showing it around the room.

"AAAHHH!" Sam screamed, jerking back. Danny stared at her.

"Told you," he commented, smiling.

"Danny! But... It... You..." she spattered.

"Um... although I have no idea what you're saying, I think we should go inside!" The ghost boy quickly flew inside the gymnasium, then stopped and gestured Sam to follow him. He flew away again before she could comment.

"Stop! Wait!" Sam called out, but no answer could be heard. She gulped.

_Should I follow him...? No, maybe not... What if all those dead bodies suddenly spring up and... Wait a minute! What am I thinking? I'm Sam Manson. I'M __NOT __AFRAID OF __ANYTHING!!!_

Sam started to walk towards the entrance of the gymnasium. She stopped right at the crack of the door, took a deep breath, and stepped inside cautiously.

Nothing could be heard but the clacking of her boots on the wooded floor.

She tried not to look down onto the ground, afraid that she might see one of those vile and disfigured faces looking up upon her. She already knew what they looked like: Bleak white eyes, red, bloody faces with parts of their skin burnt out, veins showing, and their entire body figure cracked and twisted. She shivered at the thought.

She squeezed her eyes shut. _Forward, forward, _she thought to herself once again. _Keep going, maybe Danny's on the other side..._

Then her eyes popped open. It had suddenly gotten colder. She stood as still as a statue, body shivering wildly.

Something was behind her.

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_A/N: Again, constuctive critism, comments, or mistakes!_

_**Moonstar5569**_


	3. The Trouble Begins

_A/N: ...I can never think of anything good to say._

_.MOTNAHP YNNAD NWO TON OD I :REMIALCSID_

_(The disclaimer's backwards...)_

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_**Chapter Three - The Trouble Begins**_

Danny waited. Sam should've found him by now, yet she still wasn't here. Danny had hid in a gym locker room (Not sure if it was the boy's or girls'...), behind a broken down locker titled #129. He was sitting on a large crack in the wall, humming some random tune he'd picked up from his parents when they were listening to the radio. Everything was _supposed_ to be pitch black, if it weren't for Danny's bright, glowing green eyes that illuminated the entire room with a valiant emerald glow. He was kind of like a nightlight.

The boy sighed after a while.

"Guess the fun's over," he muttered. "Better get Sam out before she kills herself..."

He silently sauntered over to the door that led out of the locker room. He automatically turned intangible and phased through it. Danny gazed around the room, looking for any traces of the Goth girl. Of course, he wasn't really looking down onto the floor where all the dead people were, but instead he was looking were everyone would look if they were looking for someone.

Straight ahead.

Quietly, he lifted himself up off the ground and flew forward at a moderate speed, stopping every once in a while to _really _get a good look around. But then one thing caught his eye.

A banner, entitled "School Dance!"

Didn't that mean they were all killed on... October 28, was it? Think that's right.

But Danny flew away nevertheless. He could tell Sam once he finds her.

"Sam?" he called out. Nothing but the echoes of his own voice replied. "Sam???" he yelled again. He waited a while, but he still didn't hear anything. "Drat..." he murmured.

Suddenly there was a shrill cry of pain, fear, and horror all mixed in one.

_Oh, crud. Sam._

Danny jolted away, streaming out the doorway of the gymnasium and back into the hallway.

"Sam???" he hastily yelled, now regretting that he ever played that "trick" on her. He ruffled his hair in agony and thrust himself forward once again in a random direction. He stopped abruptly when he saw a slight trail of new "red stuff," followed by some silent coughs.

Danny followed the blood stream frightfully, his heart pounding with the thought that Sam might be dead _already._

Then his footsteps stopped.

"Sam," he knelt down to the limp object beside him, his arms wrapping themselves around her waist.

"Danny..." she whispered in response.

"D-did they hurt you?"

"Only a bit, luckily..." Sam turned around to show Danny one large gash in her arm. "That's all they did."

"...They?"

"Yeah... T-the... Dead... People..."

"Sam... I'm..."

"Danny, don't. It's fine. You were playing."

"But I was playing when I knew you could've been _hurt_."

"...True."

Danny tightened his grip.

"What?"

"Never mind..."

Danny paused before saying anything else.

"So... What are we supposed to do with _that_?" he gestured to Sam's wound.

"There's some gauze in my backpack. You could wrap it up with that," Sam suggested.

Danny agreed, starting to reach into her purple backpack and dig for the gauze.

"Found it," he said after a few seconds, holding up a roll of white cloth. He unrolled part of it and cut the other part off with a small ray of and ecto-blast. Danny carefully wrapped the gauze around Sam's arm.

"Okay?" he questioned to make sure she was comfortable. He put his emerald glowing eyes to her amethyst ones.

"Yeah," Sam nodded in approval. They both smiled.

_**DING, DING, DING!**_

Danny and Sam jolted, their heads turning to the immediate sound of a bell's vibrating echo.

Danny sprinted to the nearest window, while Sam stayed on the floor where she was sitting. He gasped.

"Sam... They're coming back to the church again..." Danny announced softly.

"Who?"

"Those people we saw earlier, remember?" said the ghost boy, turning around to look at the Goth girl.

"Oh." Sam tried to stand up to look at them, too, but instead she tumbled back onto the cold, dry floor, struck by a new pain.

Danny rushed over at this.

"Here; let me..." he picked Sam up cautiously and held her against his chest. Then he floated up onto the windowsill once again to show Sam what was happening.

"What do you think they're all there for?" Sam questioned, not really expecting a valid answer.

"Beats me," Danny admitted, shrugging. "Maybe they're having a party."

"Danny--" Sam stopped in the middle of her statement, sighing. "Ugh... Never mind."

Suddenly, a blue mist escaped Danny's mouth. His eyes alerted as a cold chill was sent down his spine. Danny looked at Sam.

"Um... Yeah. I'll be right back..." Danny said, placing Sam down and flying off slowly in search of the ghost. Every few seconds he would glance back at Sam to see if she was still there.

Then there was a hoarse crackle. Danny stopped in his tracks and looked around. His eyes widened at a daunting sight.

Blood was spilling out of the walls, oozing freakishly out of any miniscule crack and dripping all the way down to the tiled floor. It made a somewhat disturbing sound, sloshing around and splattering everywhere.

And then there were the moans. Deceased faces appeared from the crimson liquid, showing their unearthly sharp teeth and inhuman jaws, snarling and crackling for a taste of any tender flesh that they could grasp, which, unluckily for Danny, was right in front of them.

The monsters showed their claws, now sprouting out from the vile-smelling blood and landing onto the ground, the red liquid splattering everywhere. Danny wiped some off from his face, and stared at the new threat opposed to him.

The blood skeletons moaned gruesomely at the young ghost boy. Danny stood still, immersed by the sight of the creature, fear welding up inside him. No ordinary ghost this was. It just looked... different. And something told him that this was only the beginning.

He flew. The fear got the best of him. Danny sped back to the area of which Sam was sitting, and then, much to her surprise, grabbed her by her uninjured arm and took off to the sky from the windowsill.

"Danny? W-what happened?" she asked, fiercely tackled by the incoming air rush as the ghost boy flew upward, speeding away from the school. But Danny endured on his flying, breathing ever so quickly as his heart pounded violently inside his chest to steady with the trepidation as he somewhat ignored Sam's question.

However, it wasn't soon until he abruptly stopped, a blank stare on his face as he looked up into the sky and his grip on Sam becoming tighter.

"Danny?" she asked once more, unsure if he was okay. "What's the matt--"

"The sky..." Danny sputtered. "It's... It's... _Red_."

Sam widened her eyes. She turned her head upwards also, and saw that the sky, indeed, was a dark shade of merciless crimson. She gasped at this.

"W-what do you think happened?" she inquired at the ghost boy, shaking him a bit to get his attention... Or at least part of it.

"I... I don't know," Danny finally answered to her question. He shook his head, trying to clear his dazzled expression.

"What do we do?" Sam wondered once more.

"By the looks of it, I guess there's going to be more of those... _things _coming out..." Danny started to say, his breath and heart slowing a bit, as he glanced around Silvertia for any signs of those creatures. Once he was sure that nothing was going to jump out at him, he continued," Let's just stay in the air; I don't think those things can fly."

Sam nodded her head in agreement.

"Should we still look for Tucker though?"

"... But what if those things attack us again?"

Sam thought at this.

"I bet you could handle them," she encouraged.

"I don't know if I could," Danny admitted. "Those things are just... so much different than the ghosts back in Amity. In fact, I don't even think those are ghosts _at all_."

Sam sighed.

"Danny, I don't get it. One moment you're just _walking_ into a room _full _of dead people, and now you're scared to _death_ when a few of them move!" Sam pointed out.

"Well, I don't know!" Danny answered. "I guess I wasn't thinking, that's all..."

Unexpectedly, something fast sped past them, causing Danny to lose track of his levitation for a few moments, but he quickly returned to his original pose with Sam.

"What was that?" Sam asked, looking up at Danny. He returned a confused look.

Then there was a horrid screech, startling them once more. Sam and Danny winced at the sound, but quickly recovered, finally seeing what was assaulting them.

The creature had landed on a nearby building, proudly showing its ruffled wings and monstrous fangs. It was some sort of deceased animal, with two "stilts" sprouting out from its head, sharp, silver claws, blood-red wings, midnight-black body with many bones showing, and a lashing, whip-like tail that swayed from side to side.

The creature then emitted another ear-splitting shriek. Sam covered her ears in pain, while Danny painfully withstood the sound, not wanting to take chances of dropping Sam if he had done the same as she had.

When the sound had calmed to a short stop, Danny took this chance to immediately bolt off into the opposing direction of which the monster had perched. He then spotted a random building and phased through the roof, landing in a small room with a small transom. Danny let Sam down and looked up to the ceiling, wondering whether or not it would break if the monster had followed them. Danny counted about four large indents on the pale-colored ceiling.

Then the roof quivered. The cracks grew a fragment larger as a small cry could be heard. And then another. And another. Suddenly, the rattling stopped, but the danger had not yet ceased. The creature had appeared at the window, hovering around and trying to break the glass pane that separated the room from the outside.

It scratched the glass violently, trying to break in, but with no coming prevail. Danny and Sam scooted to the back corner of the room, Sam coming in first and Danny covering her. They both had their attention turned to the threat barging at the window. Danny charged up an ecto-blast and held it in his hand, ready to shoot it at the opposing force in case it managed to break the glass.

Tension rised. The beast continued clawing at the glass pane, with every single strike, another beat of anxiety arisen.

It took a while until it, at last, ceased its attempt to break inside. The creature screeched once more before it finally thrust itself upwards to soar off into the glistening sunset sky. Danny and Sam both rushed to the transom and watched as the beast flapped angrily away. All that could be seen of it now was only a tiny speck of black in the background of the twilight sun. They both looked at each other and smiled.

"Glad that's over," Danny commented.

Suddenly Sam's smile turned into a frown.

"It may not be," she answered.

"What... What do you mean by that?" Danny wondered.

"Look," Sam said, pointing down from the window. There, Danny saw the same thing he had seen while he was in the school: blood. But this time, pouring from the _road_. And he saw the blood skeletons he faced earlier, too.

"S-Should we stay up here?" Danny said after he took everything in.

"Beats me," Sam shrugged. "Maybe... Maybe not..."

_**SCCEEEEECCH!**_

They both covered their ears at the familiar sound. It was back.

Danny and Sam stared out the window once again. And there was the "Screecher," for sure, but this time with a bunch of others too.

"Sam?" Danny asked, awestruck.

"Run," Sam somewhat answered, still staring out the window.

Danny, as fast as a bullet, grabbed Sam and darted out of the room, phasing through the other side, out of the building. He continued flying as fast as he could, hopefully out-flying the beasts.

But it wasn't long until one of them knocked him over.

"Aaahhh!" Danny and Sam screamed as they both plummeted onto the blooded road. They both landed with a thump, Danny still holding onto Sam.

The twosome groaned. They slowly opened their eyes, but their vision was rather vague and distorted.

Danny got up first, rubbing his head in pain. How high did they fall from? Must've been some 50 feet...

He stood up straight, and then looked down at Sam, who was also trying to get up. Danny lended a hand to her and pulled her upright. However, the monsters had already landed in a circle around them.

They all growled softly, waving their tails back and forth, crouching down for an attack. Danny stood up against Sam, who was gesturing somewhat weirdly for Danny to make a move. Danny finally caught on and prepared to attack.

He thrust himself forward, blasting two Screechers with ecto-blasts, knocking them back. Danny was then trampled over with a few other ones who bombarded him, but blasted them all off with an ectoplasmic explosion. Danny took off to the sky and looked back to see all of the Screechers following his tail.

The ghost boy zigzagged around, turning invisible at random times to heighten their confusion before blasting all of them one-by-one. However, one caught him by surprise from the back and grabbed his arm, followed by a painful thrust onto the ground.

The Screecher took no time to hesitate, immediately following Danny after he had been propelled downward. The creature landed beside the hole of which Danny had made when he had fell, and waited for something to come out.

Green light arose from the hole, binding the beast in an array of sharp, hot, flame. It uttered a shrill cry of pain before landing on the ground, defeated. Danny rose from the hole and stared at his victory, a smirk forming on his lips.

He was caught off guard, however, by another Screecher tackling him. He unluckily landed in front of a bunch more of those deceased monsters, and was then brutally bitten and clawed by them. Danny struggled to get free from their grasps, but there were one too many. A few Screechers had given out their signature screech, causing Danny to fall to the ground in pain. Another had then seized Danny's arm with its mouth and threw him against a brick wall, causing the unstable building to crumble on top of the poor ghost boy.

The pack of Screechers all snickered at him. (And, for a Screecher, sounded more like a really loud grasshopper) They all gathered around the broken building and dug for the fallen ghost boy with glee for their new meal.

But then they all perked their ears up. They all screeched at once, and flew away in sheer terror at what they had sensed all so suddenly.

Sam ran over to where she saw Danny get defeated after she saw the beasts had flown away. She gasped at the huge pile of debris the fight had compelled, but rushed over nevertheless to aid her fallen love.

"Danny! Danny!" she called out helplessly, moving various rocks away. "If you hear me, say something!"

Almost immediately, there was a slight movement under some rocks. Then, there was a powerful ectoplasmic blast that disintegrated all the building's remains into a pile of nothingness. And arising from that was Danny, limp and weak, but still alive.

"Danny!" Sam exclaimed in joy, rushing over and glomping him. He hugged her in return, but then laid out a painful moan, falling to the floor and reverting human.

"Sam... Ow..." Danny groaned, his eyes shut. Sam could already notice all of the injured he had acquired during the fight, many of them rapidly dripping a mix of ectoplasm and blood. Automatically, Sam reached into her backpack and grabbed the roll of gauze that Danny had used on her earlier.

"Danny, hold still," she whispered softly to him, starting to put a portion of the gauze over a gash on his right arm. She continued wrapping the ghost boy in gauze until she started to hear a faint snarling sound. However, Sam quickly endured to her wrapping.

Then it came again, but this time, louder and more vicious.

Sam alerted, observing the area for any sign of movement. Nothing in view got her attention. She was just about to finish wrapping Danny when...

"Have you no idea what's coming?"

The girl turned around, astonished at the voice of another human.

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_A/N: __ACK! Seems like I can never grip the actual character of the characters!!! ...Oh well. I guess I like OOC-ness. XD_

_**Moonstar5569**_


	4. Blood Blossoms

_A/N: Yay; Another chapter!_

_DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DANNY PHANTOM._

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_**Chapter Four - Blood Blossoms**_

"W-Who are you supposed to be?" Sam wondered at the woman in front of her. She seemed to be around her 30's, wearing a pink fleece top that was _extremely _worn-out and in rags, half-ripped denim blue jeans, and no shoes. She had golden blonde hair and light blue eyes, just a little darker than Danny's in his human form.

"No time to explain, young one. We must hurry and get to the church! Bring your injured friend along, too. We shall heal him afterwards with the ancient remedy of blood blossoms." The strange woman explained. She started to run towards the east. Sam blinked, dazzled.

_Did she just say 'blood blossoms?' _she thought. Sam shivered wildly at the memory of their first encounter with the horrible plant. Danny was almost killed. However, Sam decided to follow the stranger nonetheless. _She seems nice._

The Goth stood up and grabbed Danny, placing him on her back, since he would weigh less than the average human would, being the half-ghost hybrid he is. She hurriedly sped forward to where she last saw the woman run.

-----

"Finally, you are here!" the stranger exclaimed once Sam had caught up to her.

"Um... would you mind explaining what's going on here?" Sam inquired, panting. She had run for while.

"My apologizes, outsiders." she bowed, "However, I will explain once we get inside the church."

She started to walk up the wooded steps leading to the white building. Sam looked at her surroundings before she could walk inside. One thing caught her eye right away: blood blossoms scattered around the church. They left off an unpleasant crimson-red aurora, as if a shield of flowers were covering the church from any harm. But Sam knew for sure that she couldn't let Danny get inside.

"Erm... Miss?" Sam tried to sound as polite as she could. The woman turned around.

"Yes, what is it that you acquire?"

"Would you mind if I, um, just move these blossoms away for---"

"No!" she exclaimed suddenly. She darted over to Sam. "You must _never_, _**ever**_, move these blossoms! Do you understand?" she spat wildly.

"B-but my friend can't--"

"And why mustn't he get in? Is he a spirit in disguise?" The woman was catching on.

"He's... he's... um..." Sam desperately searched around for an excuse.

"I... just don't feel good when I'm around them," Danny suddenly sprouted in, opening his baby-blue eyes and standing up, out of Sam's grip. She was struck by Danny's speedy recovery. (_A/N: IMO, ghosts heal faster than humans) _Danny gave her a strange look.

"Really?" the woman questioned. Then she crouched down and scooped up a red blossom from the ground. "Here, catch." Immediately, she threw the plant at Danny, who was caught by surprise, but grasped the flower nonetheless.

"Ow..." he uttered, but not loud enough so everyone could hear. He was holding the blood blossom in his bare hands, trying to withstand the pain that it brang to him. It was like holding a scorching fire that was constantly tearing away at your flesh, eating away all of your life. Danny thought this would never end, but his will over the pain eased it. He just wanted to prove to the woman that he wasn't a ghost. Based on what this city was, he'd say that they'd have a big grudge against any ghosts.

"I see you have proven your point," the stranger finally said, snatching away the blossom from Danny's hand and placing it back to the circle. "Now, come, Outsiders. We must hide from Them."

"'Them?'" Danny and Sam both wondered.

"Oh, why must children ask so many questions?" the woman grieved. "I will explain later." She ran inside the building.

Sam went through the blood blossom circle with ease, and then she spun around and waited for the boy. Danny gulped. He moved back and few feet, and then rushed forward into the circle, pain stinging his body once he made contact with the crimson aurora.

"Aaah!" he winced. But before he knew it, it was already over.

"Danny!" Sam yelled. "You OK?"

"Yeah; I think I'm fine; Thanks." He smiled.

"Ok, then come on; let's go." Sam ran up the stairs with Danny following her. Inside the building was nothing but the mysterious woman and everything a church has.

"Now, introductions." The stranger finally said. "My name is Katrine Sue Allure. I am the church bell ringer for all the Survivors. Now, what are your names?"

"I'm... uh... Sam Manson."

"Danny Phant--"

Sam kicked him lightly.

"Ow! I-I mean... Danny Fenton." Danny corrected hastily.

"You do not have middle names?" Katrine wondered.

"Actually, we do, but we'd, uh, rather not say what they are..." Sam answered for both of them.

Danny just nodded his head in agreement. Then Sam started to say,

"So, Katrine--"

"No, you are saying my name incorrectly." The woman interrupted. "It is Kat-treen, not Kat-trine." She corrected.

"Oh, um, sorry..." Sam apologized, looking at Danny. He shrugged. "Well, back to what I was saying, why'd you want us to come to this church so suddenly?"

Katrine tightened.

"You mean... You do not know?"

"Know what?" Sam and Danny asked in unison.

"About the Red Ones." She gulped, "They are terrible creatures; parasites that may burrow into human flesh and take them over from within. However, they are actually very large for a parasite; maybe a foot long? Nevertheless, many of my people had already been inflicted by them, and have now joined the legion of the Deceased."

"What happens when they're taken over?"

"They have no control. There is not one human I have ever encountered that has been able to withstand the grasp of the Red Ones. The parasites are very swift, and they travel in groups of hundreds. You will rarely see one stray from the others."

"So... How'd you know they were coming in the first place?"

"Those creatures you have battled with; we call them Bloodwings, although the definite name our leader had given them was "Nocturnal Screechers." Call them as you may. The Bloodwings have the most accurate sense of hearing. The Red Ones; they make much noise, and the Bloodwings flee away before they come near."

"Why? Are they scared of the "Red Ones" or something?" Danny questioned.

"Yes, we _all_ are. Although the Red Ones are on the Deceased's side, all of them are still very afraid of having no will once they're taken over. Besides, everyone is happier if you can choose what to do."

"Oh," they paused. "What are the Deceased?"

Katrine sighed. "Will these questions ever cease? You ask one too many, even for an Outsider. Although, I do not blame you. It should be your first time seeing a ghost."

Sam hastily looked at Danny, giving him a _"Don't say anything" _glare. Katrine continued.

"Now, come with me. I must show you to Aleu. She is the leader of us."

Katrine started walking away. Danny and Sam followed her, obviously having nothing else to do. Katrine showed them to a small room with gold-colored linings beginning to peel away. There wasn't much in it at all.

"Sit," she ordered kindly, pointing to the floor.

"Um... ok..." Sam agreed, confused. She sat down with Danny, leaning against the wall. Katrine then walked over to the doorway.

"I will be back. But first, I must get blood blossoms for your injured friend there." She pointed to Danny. Next, she left the room. Sam and Danny waited for her to be completely gone before either of them said anything.

"So... Um, what are we going to do now?" Danny asked the Goth.

"Don't know," Sam answered, thinking.

"Should we leave? I don't want to know what she's going to use the blood blossoms on me for..." Danny shivered coldly as if his ghost sense had just gone off.

"But if we leave, then maybe the "Red Ones" would get us!" Sam argued.

"You really believe what she said?" Danny remarked. "I think she's just trying to get us to stay in here for food..."

"You think she's going to _eat us_?"

"Yeah. Ever heard of cannibalism? I mean, it all makes sense! She's probably had nothing to eat for days, maybe even weeks! She does live in a ghost town, you know."

"...Danny, you sound like Tucker."

"Yeah, I thought so." Danny shrugged. "But if we stay, she'll use blood blossoms on me..."

"You have a point," Sam clarified. "I guess we could leave..."

At that sentence, Danny immediately went ghost, grabbed Sam by her good arm (again), and flew through the wall, only to be stopped by the array of blood blossoms in front of him.

"You think I can fly through it?" Danny wondered.

"Just go as fast as you can. You've done it before." She replied.

"OK..." Danny flew back a few feet, and then thrust himself forward at the aurora. However, it didn't even hurt him.

"Wow," he commented, looking at his hands, and then his spectral tail.

"You must've gone too fast," Sam joked.

Danny then changed the subject.

"Where do you think they've even gotten those blossoms anyway?"

"Don't know," Sam answered. "Let's just get going."

Danny nodded in agreement and continued to fly away from the church swiftly.

"Hey Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you still have that map you picked up?"

"Yes, why?"

"How do we get back on that street we were in?"

Sam reached into her backpack and unrolled the said map.

"Take a right on... this road..."

"What road?"

"It's blurred out; don't ask me!"

Danny shook it off and took a right on "this road." Danny then landed on the familiar sight of Trinity Road.

"You think Katrine will come looking for us?" Sam wondered.

"Probably not; I don't think she'll come looking for 'Outsiders.'" Danny replied.

"True..." Sam agreed. "So--"

Her sentence was cut off by a soft growling. Danny widened his eyes, moving closer to Sam.

"W-What do you think that was?" he asked her, charging up an ecto-blast and beginning to move into an attacking stance.

"I'm sure you know the answer to that question," she answered, gulping.

More growling. The twosome stood still, neither of them daring to make even the tiniest of a move, afraid that the threat might come out and attack.

But it wasn't soon until menacing, scarlet eyes could be seen in the darkness, followed by the showing of their small, slimy bodies and their wavering tails. Sure, it seemed that _one _of them could be no mere threat, but _this _many? A normal human would've been torn to shreds in less that a second.

"What do we do?" whispered Danny.

"Fly! Don't fight them; this many would kill us!"

Danny hesitated before doing what Sam had said. He took Sam and flew off into the sky.

"Are they following us?" Danny asked after a few seconds. He didn't feel like looking back.

"Yes! And they're coming in--fast!"

"How? Can they fly?"

"No, but they're climbing on the buildings and jumping all over the place!"

"I can just imagine what that would look like." Danny joked, but stopped after he saw Sam's signature death glare. Finally, Danny looked below him and saw what Sam had said was right: The small parasites were swarming chaotically over the buildings, the walls, and the roads, leaving a small trail of blood behind as they traveled. He could see that they would also jump up to get him when they're at the highest point they could get to.

"Wow," Danny commented.

"Watch out!" Sam abruptly said, pointing forward. But he was then immediately bombarded by an array of Red Ones as soon as he tried to get a look.

"Aaah!" he yelled, falling to the floor at the contact of the slimy, disgusting creatures. He landed powerfully on the road, his impact creating a gigantic hole, just as it did with the battle with the Screechers... Or Bloodwings.

Danny and Sam groaned, lying on the floor with their eyes partially closed. Danny got up first, and then immediately helped Sam up. It wasn't long until the familiar growling could be heard once more.

They spun around rapidly to see that sight again: a whole group of Red Ones staring at them face-to-face, their scarlet-colored eyes gleaming with revenge, wrath, and hatred - even for a small being such as a parasite. They were all gathering around the twosome, forming a large circle around them. Any nearby buildings were also covered up by the parasites, along with light posts, mailboxes, old cars, and so many others.

Danny and Sam gulped. Should they fight them, or fly away? However, Danny took no time to think as his hero complex was taking over. Immediately, he shot a blast of green ectoplasmic light at a group of Red Ones, and, as if a signal, the rest of the Red One legion all jumped up and attacked the twosome.

"Danny!" Sam yelped as she was bitten by the threat. She could feel the parasites trying to dig into her, but she stopped each of them before they could get there. Soon, she had luckily escaped the bombard of Red Ones and ran to the safety on a nearby building, closing the rusted door behind her. She quickly rushed to a window to see the action from above.

Sam could see stray ecto-blasts shooting out at random directions, along with grunts, snarls, and growls. However, Danny wasn't in her view, so she shifted to another window in hope to see her ghost boy.

"Danny?" she called out.

No answer.

Sam finally realized that she had to go help him, so she looked outside the window once more to see if any Red Ones were there, and then bolted out the door, looking around. She ran behind the building she was in and tried to find any sign of movement in the deserted alleyway. And there was - in the trash dumpster. But as much that she regretted doing so, she carefully slid nearer to the rusted green container and placed her hand on the top. Then she pushed it up, only to see her doom: more Red Ones.

Sam gasped, and then ran. Where was that ghost boy when you need him? She looked back. The Red Ones were on her trail. She continued running, and then started to look forward again. But what was ahead of her wasn't pleasant at all; instead, it was yet _another _set of those annoying parasites coming right at her.

"Sam, look out!" a familiar voice called out, and immediately she was greeted by a painful thrust towards another direction, causing her to fall to the floor. But she didn't hesitate to look back at that very spot she was just in after she had been pushed away.

And she saw what she had expected: Danny, right in the middle of the attacking force, battle-ridden and scarred. Sam laid a slight smile on her lips, but then it suddenly turned to a frown. Danny was right in the line of fire.

Sam's amethyst eyes widened. Hastily, she got up and sped towards Danny, but she was too late... even if it were only a second.

She saw a terrible sight as the events flashed through her eyes... Danny, first pushing her away and then being thrown back by almost a hundred of the Red Ones. And she had also remembered what Katrine had said: "_They are terrible creatures; __**parasites that may burrow into human flesh and take them over from within.**__"_

Then Sam heard a scream. It was a familiar scream; _Danny's_ scream.

Sam sped over to where Danny was tackled. She didn't care about the Red Ones; all she wanted was to see Danny now. She kicked any of the parasites that were in her way, causing them to screech and roll over in a different direction. Then she had finally reached the end of the trail.

"_Danny..._"

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_A/N: ...I'm sleepy._

**_Moonstar5569_**


	5. Just a Talk

_A/N: Wow! It's dark outside __**already?**__ Jeez, it's only been 10 minutes since the sun was out and shining... Not that I like the sun. The sun must DIE._

_DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DANNY PHANTOM. (How many times do I have to type this?)_

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_**Chapter Five - Just a Talk**_

She'd knew it all along. She'd knew at least _one _of them would end up like this, and her assumption was finally proved correct - doubled.

First it was Tucker, who already vanished the first few minutes they were in Silvertia, unknown of the cause and helpless to stop it. And now...

It was Danny. Danny _Phantom,_ as a matter of fact. The brave hero that had saved Amity Park from danger countless times, always risking his life out and being _ridiculously _stubborn about it. And he'd done it again.

Sam walked slowly towards the seemingly lifeless figure, his eyes closed and his limp body lying helplessly on the cold, dry earth. His face was covered up by his ruffled hair, and no movement could be detected at all. There was also a pool of ectoplasm mixed in with blood dripping out.

"Danny...?" Sam hoarsely whispered, urging the words out of her throat. She covered her mouth with her hands as she crouched down beside him.

"Danny...?" she whispered again, shaking him only a _tiny _bit. She held back tears. What if he'd gone? Or even worse - what if he'd been taken over by the Red Ones?

Sam could just imagine what would happen if that were true...

The Goth hesitated before coming back to her previous act. She shook Danny again, just a bit harder than last time. She tried to turn him over so she could see what was wrong.

Carefully, she lifted his side up and flipped him over. Sam leaned closer to him, and then looked to see if he was still breathing, or even _alive_ for that matter. Cautiously, she went all the way down and pressed her ear against Danny's chest, right over the silver-white DP emblem to see if she could detect a heartbeat inside. She'd still wonder though; if he'd even _had_ a heartbeat in his ghost form.

Sam pressed down deeper after a while of no thumping.

"_Come on; please..." _Sam whispered, again pressing down. She'd just now realized that her ear was already to his ribs.

Sam took her ear off his chest with no avail of finding a beat. However, she wasn't going to give up just yet. She went back to her past trial.

"Danny, wake up..."

She nudged him once more.

_No, this is NOT happening! _She thought. _Danny, I know you for this... You'd just __**have **__to be alive..._

To her dismay, there was no movement. Instead, there was a soft and familiar growl. Sure that it wasn't coming from Danny, Sam spun around in terror. And what she saw were the Red-Ones _with _more monsters too.

Sam, for a moment, sat in the clearing as terrified as ever. She couldn't help but look at the undead monsters, gnarling their wretched teeth in wicked emotion. They were horrifying to look at, yet at the same time they were _too _horrifying to _not _look at.

Sam's eyes were as big as the moon at this point. The creatures were slowly coming in on her, but she had nowhere to run. They were all around her -- left, right, even _above. _If she dared to move, would the creatures attack? Mainly the Red-Ones?

Sam gulped and thought of something fast. Only moving her eyes, she gazed around for any opening at all she could sprint through. But none came to her attention. So she did what she feebly hoped would work.

Sam fell to the floor, acting as if she had fainted. She closed her eyes and landed on top of Danny, who still didn't budge.

But it wasn't long until a vile snicker could be heard, and a cold, lifeless skeletal hand being placed upon her head.

---

Sam had awoken in a strange place, but at least it was welcoming. She was actually on a _bed_, and thin, old blankets had been placed to top of her to keep her warm. She was inside a room, not too small, not too big, but most of its wallpaper had been torn off and dust had gathered in almost every corner.

"Where am I?" Sam whispered silently to herself. She lifted the covers off her body and stepped onto the wooden floor, causing it to squeak noisily. Sam jerked back in surprise and then looked around in terror. Had someone heard her?

The Goth lunged at the bed and pulled the blankets over her. She closed her eyes and pretended to sleep, hoping that if anyone was there, they'd think it was all someone else.

"No need to hide, young one."

The voice startled her. Sam knew who it was right away.

"K-Katrine?" Sam said, awestruck. And there, in front of her with no doubt, was Katrine Sue Allure, the bell ringer of the Glendea Church, smiling and filling the room with a slight bit of welcoming aura. It would've been more welcoming if it weren't for the fact that they were in the middle of a ghost town. Emphasis on 'ghost.'

"I am glad you are awake. When we found you, it seemed that you had passed out from terror." Katrine explained. Sam said nothing, so she continued. "But there is one thing that may trouble you..."

"What?" Sam spoke up, her eyes widening.

"Your friend is not here..."

"_What_?" the Goth said, alerted. "But... he was with me when..." She trailed off.

"It's a shame," Katrine shook her head in disappointment. "He was very young and full of will. But now we must fight him for survival."

Sam couldn't believe this.

"W-what... do you mean by that?" she questioned worriedly. Katrine paused before answering.

"When a soul is lost in Silvertia, they do not pass on. They will remain on the wretched earth that embroiders here as one of the creatures. Of course, if he was taken over by the Red-Ones..." Katrine stopped. "I am sorry for your friend."

Sam had nothing to say. Her mouth was left open, and slight tears were forming. Part of her wanted to yell out and say that Danny wasn't dead, yet part of her knew that it may be true. She didn't know where he was, and in the condition he was in the day before left many questions unanswered. Finally, Sam said something.

"Is... Is there any way to reverse the effect? Like, to lift the 'curse' or something?" she sniffed.

"No!" Katrine answered, a bit too suddenly. Sam jerked her head up in surprise. Katrine was panting. "I... I am sorry. What I was wanting to say is that there is... no known way of breaking the curse. Your friend is lost forever..."

Sam could see Katrine's fists clenched together, and her being trying to withhold something from spilling out. Sam couldn't help but wonder... Was she hiding something?

But Sam couldn't worry about that now. She shook her head.

"No. I _know _that he's not gone. Not forever, at least," Sam encouraged. "Danny's been through more stuff than you can imagine."

"Really?" the woman seemed unconvinced. "Has he ever battled a never-ending fight with the undead? Has he even fought a ghost and won?"

Sam hesitated. Should she say yes? If she did, it might blow Danny secret. Wait, screw that; it _would _blow Danny's secret.

_But she's isolated from everything, _Sam thought. _Maybe it's ok to tell __**her**__. Besides, it's best if she knows so she could help me later._

"Yes," Sam finally answered to Katrine's question. Before the older woman could respond, Sam then said, "Katrine... There's something you need to know."

"And what would that be?" Katrine replied.

"Danny..." she stopped. How would she start this? Then again, she didn't have a lot of time, so she just sprouted wings and flew off in a random direction.

"Danny's half-ghost."

"E-Excuse me?"

Sam was afraid. She could probably tell that the people here were all either scared or angry of spirits.

"He... He got in an accident two years back, and ectoplasm -- you know what that is, right?" Katrine nodded. "Ok, good. Well, ectoplasm kinda mixed in with him, and then he had two forms then: a human form and a ghost form. So that's why he couldn't really go through the Blossoms that well, because there's ectoplasm in his blood, which the Blossoms had blocked out.

"But anyway, he started to protect our city, Amity Park, from ghosts and spirits that caused trouble and threw them back into the Ghost Zone, which is a place where ghosts roamed. But you know, some ghosts don't live in the Ghost Zone, like this place."

"But... why must he keep it a secret? Surely your townsfolk would appreciate such a great deed." Katrine wondered.

Sam sighed.

"Well... Everyone knows his secret now, so it's not such a big deal. But... I was afraid of telling... you."

"...Why, young one? What have I done?"

"Nothing!" Sam replied immediately to ease her confusion. "It's... It's just that the people in Silvertia seem so..."

"Afraid of the dead?" Katrine completed. Then she drooped her eyes. "I'm afraid that is true, Sam."

"But..." Sam started, "would it hurt to ask for your story? The story of Silvertia?"

Katrine remained silent, but then spoke up.

"_Black flame_," The sadness in her voice echoed across the room. Katrine was surely hiding something, whether it was important or not. But before she could say anything, Katrine sat up and left Sam's side, leaving her wondering about what she meant by those two small, yet mysterious, words.

_Black flame._

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_A/N: Sorry it was so short! It was a filler chapter, I guess!_

_...What's happened to Danny? -snickers-_


	6. The Story

_A/N: Um..._

_I NEED SOMETHING FOR MY AUTHOR'S NOTES!!!_

_(And this is for you, animegirl115, A.K.A Anonymous...)_

_Oh, and um, I really meant to post this much, MUCH, sooner, but I kept on forgetting! Stupid me! AAHH! And THEN, I got grounded, and just on the moment that I was going to post this, FF wasn't working for me! AAHHHHH!!! AGAIN!!!_

_...CHEESE._

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_**Chapter Six - The Story**_

So many things had ran through Sam's mind that day, but the mental argument of whether or not Danny was alive was one thought that the Goth simply could not shake off. No matter how hard she tried, sleeping, eating, even running around in circles and bumping into walls, Sam just couldn't help but think over and over,

_Was Danny still alive? Is he safe?_

And all the events that day flashed back to her, whether she wanted them to or not. First, the encounter with the Red-Ones, and then it had just skipped ahead to that terrible, terrible moment.

Sam squinted her eyes shut as she lay on the barely-soft mattress of Katrine's bed, with said woman sleeping quietly beside her, just in case anything happened. Katrine had dozed off long ago, but Sam was still wide awake, worried and troubled.

That might've been the scariest moment in her life; losing her beloved Danny. So then, Katrine had taken her into the church, safe from any of the Deceased. And it was then that Sam had questioned her about Silvertia's past, which, unfortunately, Katrine had been unwilling to answer.

Sam sighed deeply. What was she supposed to do now? Should she risk going out to find Danny? No; they did that last time and that was what got Danny hurt in the first place. But if she stayed here, Danny, if he was alive, might be killed.

_Sam..._

She closed her eyes harder, trying to keep that voice away. She knew it meant nothing; that that voice she'd heard so many times was just trying to deceive her as it tested her will.

_Sam..._

She knew that it meant that if she'd listened to it, the voice would most probably drain out all of her happiness and reduce her to a lonely, lonely person with no hope -- which was something that she didn't want to be.

_Sam..._

But what she didn't know was that if she _didn't _listen to it, Danny wouldn't be saved if he were still alive. And she _knew_ he was.

Sam turned to the other side of the bed, ruffling the blue covers. She laid on her old pillow wearily and grasped its sides. She closed her eyes once more and thought back to the past; in Amity Park, where it was safe. Well, maybe not _safe_, but at least it was something that they were used to.

And then she heard a taping at the window.

Sam rushed out of the bed quickly, but not too roughly that it would startle Katrine out of her sleep. She dashed to the nearby windowsill and put her hands on the glass pane, letting her eyes search for any sign of danger.

However, nothing was there, so she finally decided to try to go back to bed, sighing.

But then she heard another noise; this time; glass breaking.

Sam turned around and screamed out of reaction. She clasped her hands over her mouth and looked at the window; its old, battered glass now shattered. And then Sam looked at Katrine, who was now wide awake.

"What happened?" she mumbled, yawning.

"I... um..." Sam fished. "I... think someone threw a rock at us..."

She flinched at the lie.

"Rock?" Katrine wondered, stepping out of the bed. She walked towards the broken window and looked around. "I do not see any rock..."

"Well um... Okay then; I was wrong," Sam replied, letting her hands relax for a bit. She caught Katrine staring at her with clouded blue eyes.

"Something is troubling you," she said. "Your friend, I presume?"

"Yeah," Sam answered after moments of hesitation. "It's just that... he's been with me all through my life, and now he's just... _gone_. Years of friendship shattered in just a moment." She paused, sitting down on the bed. "And I love him." She looked down.

Katrine sat beside her and sighed.

"I know how it feels," she whispered hoarsely. "To lose a loved one; one that has been with out time and again." Katrine looked at Sam, but the younger girl wouldn't look back. "You really want him back, don't you?"

Sam just nodded, but still didn't look up.

Both stayed silent.

But after a while, Katrine spoke up, breaking the silence.

"Young one, this is the first time I had seen any outsider like this. Your friend was lost trying to save _you_." Sam nodded. "I had said he was gone. Yet at this moment, I have my doubts."

Finally, Sam looked up, stunned. Katrine looked down upon her and smoothed her hair as if they were mother-and-daughter.

"Young one..." she paused. "I will tell you our story."

---

"Silvertia was once a great and thriving town, although it had been isolated from larger settlements for years. To our east, there were many mines conducting precious silver, and many traders had come from afar to purchase them.

"My father was the head of the silver trade. He was a nice man, and he gave all the people of Silvertia respect. Many people knew him for his deeds, not only for the silver business. He had married my mother and had two children: my younger sister and I.

"Now, we all had happy and cherished lives until one day. It was unusually strange; my father had come home and said that there was no more silver. Not even a trace. It had all vanished mysteriously, and even with the whole pack of miners looking for more, there had not been any for years.

"So the trades had been cut off, and Silvertia was left isolated from the outside world. We had no visitors or tourists; Silvertia had nothing to show but its silver, which was gone.

"Business was empty then, and everyone had less and less to eat everyday. Of course, you may wonder other things, but Silvertia is an old, old town that still relies on the past ways, not with new... what do you call them? Technology? We had adapted some from the outside world, but not much.

"Then came the time when the horrible rumors started sprouting. First, there was the rumor that outsiders had secretly come to steal our silver during the night. Then came the rumor of which an unearthly force had vanquished all the silver, and also caused bad luck and fortune. But the last rumor was the one that had thrown our city into chaos. The rumor was that my _father _had stolen all the silver, and was planning to take my family away to sell it all in another town.

"People took out their pitchforks and rebelled against my family. It was strange; the people of Silvertia were always welcoming and kind, but now they had been turned into reckless souls. And I have proof... My mother was killed.

"After that, my father, sister and I were sent into hiding. And could you think, just because of the rumor. We had even less food to eat, and no shelter to keep us from violent storms. Thus, my younger sister had died of famine.

"So my father and I were left. We stayed at our hideout for a few more weeks until we returned to Silvertia -- only to have the people kill my father.

"And yet; they spared me. I do not know why, but I am thankful. They had said, 'You will be useful,' and took me in.

"And... and then, there was a fire. A large, deathly fire, blazing for hours. I do not know where it had started, but while the fire was raging, there was a storm. The storm had put out the fire, but had then destroyed everything left. But the rain of the storm was not normal; you see. It was like poison, and killed many.

"There were some lucky people who had survived the torrent and kept shelter in the church. When the storm ceased, the survivors awoke to find bodies of the dead, scattered helplessly around.

"But that wasn't all. What had been deadening; we had all thought that the Gods had been displeased with us, and wanted to bring us to our mercy. So we took the bodies of all the dead, every single one, whether they were human or animal, and burned them. However, although the flame was ignited as a normal, red-and-orange flame, it had continued burning for weeks and had put out by itself when daylight arose, only to be mysteriously lit up again when midnight struck.

"Our people were baffled. So one night, we all came out and brang many tanks of water to try to put out the inferno, only to have it burn more. After hours of trying, the fire wasn't a normal shade of orange anymore, but instead, it was... Black.

"We had then stopped trying to put out the fire at a daunting sight. Moans could be heard, and violent crackling could be seen. And then, the cremated bodies of our people were _moving_. But now, they weren't just normal skeletons or corpses, they seemed to have evolved. The birds that had once sung beautifully outside our windowpanes had turned into the violent, jaw-snapping Bloodwings that don't sing, but emit harsh, earsplitting screeches instead. Our roses, although they had not burned, evolved into what we call a Vinara, a terrible, vine-like thing that reaches out to grab you with their thorns, all the while seeping poison into your flesh. As for the people, oh, they had turned into many different things. Skeletons of bloodlust, spirits of haunts...

"And yet... We had survived. But the dead started attacking us out of hatred and rage, chasing us until we had reached our hideout: the church.

"The Glendea church had always been a safe place, with an array of Blood Blossoms at our arsenal. The priest had always grown them outside to keep evil spirits away. No member of the dead had ever passed through.

"Then we had started to call ourselves the 'Survivors,' and the group of the dead 'Deceased.' Afterwards, we had all listened to Aleu, our leader, as she appointed jobs out to all of us. We needed a plan to survive with the Deceased ruling the rest of Silvertia.

"It wasn't until a few days later that we had all discovered that the Deceased had not come out until a certain time of night. Thus, the job of the bell-ringer was appointed to me. Now, doing this was no easy task, young one. I had to observe my surroundings with caution, as only when the Shadow Raven perches on the Cross of our church will the sky turn red and the moon bleed.

"The Shadow Raven is a spirit that we all believe watches over Silvertia. Its story had been passed down for generations, dating back to when Silvertia was first founded. It is hard to catch, as its elegant feathers match so delicately with the sky that you could even mistake it for a dark cloud.

"We cherish its presence, yet we know its appearance only means that trouble is coming. After all the food-gatherers finish their task, at the bell's ring, they rush back to the church as quickly as they can to avoid death.

"Since then, outsiders have been visiting, but very, _very _few. We all know that they had just came here for a thrill, and had taken them into the church before any harm is done. But then, there was a betrayal.

"One outsider, Blake Ornate, came into our city as a kind and gentle man. He did no harm to us until he was offered a reward by a mysterious force if he could kill us all.

"And he accepted. He tried to destroy us, stealing all of our blood blossoms and leaving us out in the open for the Deceased to attack.

"However, he had failed. The Shadow Raven had not perched that day, yet the mysterious force had thanked him... By death, apparently. Our Blossoms had grown back almost immediately, but to this day, we still do not know what strange spirit may have entered out church by that mysterious force.

"We ad never trusted outsiders again, and had even feared them. _But_, when I first saw you and your friend, I had just known that you were no harm -- and may even save us."

Sam was speechless. She watched as Katrine huddled herself together and flopped down onto the bed. Still, Sam had so many questions that she wanted to ask. But then again, Katrine was tired.

So Sam could wait.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_A/N: Keep this in mind: Katrine mentions very little of her mother and sister. And the people had killed her father, yet they had spared **her**._

_So... Was she missing anything?_

_**Moonstar5569**_


	7. Search

A/N: Here's chapter 7

_A/N: Um… I can explain. I hope._

--

_**Chapter Seven - Search**_

When the sun had arisen the next morning, Sam was already up and awake. She was still troubled, but had many questions answered the earlier night with Katrine. Sam had now known the story of Silvertia, but still, something just seemed a little... Off.

As Sam paced her footsteps in Katrine's room, she couldn't help but notice the broken window from yesterday. Its glass was still shattered, but strangely, it had matched with the surroundings of the room. And yet, somewhere in her mind she couldn't help but think...

_Was it Danny that did that?_

But there was no way to know for sure, and it was really helpless just walking around and thinking about it when you could actually do _something_. But Sam knew she couldn't do that _something _without Katrine.

So since the minute Sam had woken up, she had been waiting for the woman to arise. Then she would ask her to come with her to find Danny outside, since it was still morning. And hopefully, they would.

But it had been hours since Sam's awakening when Katrine had finally woken up. She lifted her head drowsily when she spotted Sam leaning against the wall. Yawning, Katrine said,

"You have been awake for many hours, I can tell. You have been waiting for me?"

Sam merely nodded, and then added,

"Yeah. I just wanted to ask you... Could we... You know..."

"Look for your friend?" Katrine completed.

Sam was amazed.

"Um... Yes, actually. How... How'd you know I was going to ask you that?"

Katrine stepped out of her bed and laid the sheets lightly on top of it.

"I have my ways." Katrine smirked, but Sam didn't notice.

"So, um..." Sam started. "Can you... _Will _you... Come with me?"

Katrine had hesitated before answering. She stood straight up and crossed her arms, but not yet had she looked at Sam.

"I can't," was all that she said.

"Why not?" Sam returned, her hope loosening.

"Your friend will not be here."

"But... You said that he may be!" Sam spat, causing Katrine to jerk up. "You said that he still might be alive..."

"No, no. I did not mean it like that." Katrine sighed. "Your friend does not exist in the morning."

"...Huh?"

"There was a high chance that he was taken by the Red-Ones." Katrine paused to see Sam's expression. She tried her best to hide it, however. "And," she continued, "when one is taken over by them, they become part of the Deceased. Meaning, they disappear when the sun rises and emerges when the Shadow Raven calls. Your friend shall most likely not be here, so if I were to come with you, we would have to wait until nightfall."

Sam hesitated, and then nodded in agreement.

"Oh... Ok."

Katrine shifted her pose and walked over to the Goth.

"But..." she began. "There is still one problem."

"What?" Sam replied.

"The Survivors... They are on constant lookout after I ring the bell, and Aleu will refuse to let anyone out of the church."

That caught Sam's attention.

"The Survivors? How come I didn't see any of them except you yet?" she wondered, crossing her arms.

"That... That is not the point." Katrine answered. "_But_, how are we going to risk escaping?"

Sam thought for a moment.

"Do they watch you ring the bell?"

"Yes..."

"Well, maybe _I _could ring the bell for you, while you were outside the church unseen."

"They will wonder where I have gone." Katrine countered.

"They can wonder all they want," Sam replied. "As long as they don't send out a search party or something, we're fine. They'll just think something happened to you." Sam smirked.

"But then they would wonder about _you_."

"They don't even know me, do they?"

"I see you have a point..." Katrine said. "Then it is settled. When the time has almost arrived, I will hide near the church, but not so near that they can detect my presence." She paused, thinking. "I will hide in the old pub, just east of the Glendea Church. It is not hard to miss; there is a big sign wavering on top."

Sam nodded.

"Ok then."

--

Katrine dashed behind the counter and peeked out of the little crack that had shone through. Nightfall had not yet arisen, so she was right on time. And as the plan had gone; when the bell rings, run for it.

The old pub had been a vile place when Silvertia had flourished, with violent thugs and rude people, and when they had died they had not faltered in their brutal ways. But Katrine had no other choice; every other nearby place was too broken-down and wasn't as good a hiding place as the pub. Besides, she needed someplace that Sam could easily detect.

Katrine shifted her stance, ignoring the blood-streaked skeleton that was sitting behind her, obviously lifeless. Like the other Survivors, she had many years of experience with the dead and had grown out of her fear several decades earlier. The skeleton was no exception.

Silently, Katrine sat there, waiting for the bell to chime. Minutes passed, and yet Katrine did not budge out of her position, gazing out of the crack. But of course, the bell _did _ring soon enough.

_**DING, DING, DING!**_

The familiar echo had rung in the woman's ears, and quickly, she jumped out of her place and shot out the door. She didn't want to be slaughtered by that skeleton, especially at the range that she was in with it.

She kept on running until she spotted a sturdy wall, and immediately she jumped behind it. It wasn't long until she heard loud footsteps approaching. Katrine timed herself, and let her hand reach out bit by bit. And finally, she jerked herself up and grabbed the runner by her leg, pulling her inwards.

"Katrine!" Sam yelled as she skidded softly across the floor.

"Was there any difficulty?" the older woman replied with a smile.

"N-No, not really." Sam partly sputtered.

"Good." Katrine crawled silently near the wall's end and peered over. She looked on both of her sides before gesturing to Sam that the coast was clear, and that it was time to begin their search.

Slowly, the two girls ambled on against the buildings, trying their best not to be detected. They tip-toed and breathed as scarcely as possible.

Finally, they had reached an intersection. There were a few signs, but most of them had been knocked down and were presently lying down on the road, cracked. The street was rugged, and the paved sidewalk had been reduced to rubble. On the sides, there were various alleyways, each of them leading to a dead-end, with a rusted metal door on each. Silently, Katrine whispered,

"Sam, this way, please." Katrine gestured over to an alley. Sam nodded in response, and then followed the woman over across the cracked road, jumping over the fallen poles and skimping towards the alley unnoticed. She had almost tripped on a rock because of her nervousness.

Katrine pushes against the brick wall, and Sam did suit. She knew that whatever Katrine did was the best; she had been experienced in this for many years. And by the looks of it, she had gone on journeys like this often.

"Katrine..." Sam started. "Where are we going?"

"You will soon find out; do not worry." Katrine assured. "Now come."

Katrine scampered over to the end of the alleyway and hunched down on the rusted silver door. She scratched a few particles of the rust with her fingernail, and then examined it carefully, eyeing every detail.

"Yes; this is it," Katrine said. She smoothly placed her hand on the door's handle and leisurely opened it -- but not without making an atrocious squeaking noise.

Sam covered her ears and looked around worriedly. She observed the alleyway opening, just in case any of the Deceased could hear the noise and come flying towards them. But luckily, they didn't.

Katrine slipped behind the door stealthily and made a soft motion for Sam to follow. The young girl did as she was told and walked quickly over to Katrine's side, nudging against her so that the older woman had space to close the door.

And when she did, it was pitch dark.

"Katrine!" Sam whispered loudly. "Where are we? I can't see!"

"I know, young one. But do not worry. I am finding -- Oh, wait. Here it is." At those words, the whole room was suddenly illuminated by a vast, sparkling light, and Sam couldn't help but gasp in awe at what wonders were in this room.

Wax candles were scattered marvelously around, giving off many embers of red, orange, and yellow. There were many tables, but they weren't cracked or deceased, they were in perfect condition, as if they had never been touched. Books were ubiquitously scattered, and vials of liquid were placed vigilantly on top of stools, bookshelves, and many other places. But what was eccentric, in the corners of the area, there were vines and foliage sprouting out of the cracks.

"Ka... Katrine..." Sam gasped. "What is this place?"

"This," Katrine started. "is the Survivors' storage warehouse. We place many items in here for future use, as the Glendea Church is not very big, and we still need room for us to sleep." She paused. "And this is the place where we get our Blossoms."

"Oh," Sam said, amazed.

"But we must make haste," Katrine rushed. "Quickly; aid me in search of a dark-blue bottle. I think it is placed over there." She pointed to a corner to Sam's right side. Sam walked over to it and looked around carefully.

"I don't see it," she remarked. "What's it for, anyway?"

"I will tell you once you find it," Katrine replied. "It is vital for our search."

"Ok," was all that Sam could speak. She kept on looking; crushing through books and making various vials roll away.

"Sam!" Katrine suddenly outburst. At that moment, Sam dashed over to her side and asked,

"What? What happened?"

"I have found it," Katrine replied, holding up a sparking blue bottle of liquid, its contents shaking.

"Good," Sam breathed, "Now what's it for?"

"Please bestow me with a candle and I shall show you."

Sam walked over to a table and snatched a hot candle from it. The wax dripped on her hand, but she just ignored it. Sam then handed it to Katrine, who took it and uncorked the bottle. Cautiously, she poured a drop of the liquid right into the burning flame, and like a flash, it instantly blazed blue and gave out a cold essence, unlike the hot sensation with a normal flame.

Sam jerked back, amazed. She stared at the fire for a few more seconds before saying,

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"It is what we call a Ghost Flame," Katrine explained. "It sets off a cold fire instead of a hot one, and with this most of the Deceased will just suppose that you are another one of Them. But just remember to always hold it in front of you."

"Wait... So you mean that they can sense heat?" Sam wondered.

"Yes, and also the presence of a heartbeat and the tone of your breathing. But of course, they only have an allotted space to sense them, so they can't always tell you are there." She finished. "Now, give me another candle."

Sam got her another candle. Katrine placed the other candle down and picked up the new one. She uncorked the bottle yet again and poured a small drop of the potion on the candle, causing it to shriek and turn blue like the other one. Slowly, Katrine handed it to Sam and took the other one for herself, placing the bottle down.

"Careful," Katrine then warned. "Do not get the wax on you. It will burn through your flesh."

Sam just looked at her strangely.

"Um... Let's just go." Sam walked over to the exit and waited for Katrine to come. Then, the older woman opened the door, candle still intact, and slipped out as she did before, with Sam following. Katrine walked out into the intersection, out in the open, and started walking forward.

"How long will these candles burn?" questioned Sam.

"A few hours," Katrine replied. "We will have to hurry."

Sam nodded in agreement and simply followed Katrine.

--

By now, Sam was about to snap. Not by anger, but by sheer sadness. By loss. Loss of Danny.

To Sam, almost a week had passed. But to anyone else, it's only been 5 hours. She was getting tired by all this enduring searching that never seemed to cease.

Sam, as much as she hated to admit it, was having second thoughts about this now. What if they failed to find him? He _is _a ghost after all, and knowing ghosts, they're extremely hard to track down without the help to ghost-hunting technology. But the thing is, they didn't have any of that with them that night.

The candles were still burning, though. Luckily, to add. Their blue flames flickered throughout the night, and any of the Deceased that the twosome had encountered had silently left them alone. Still, precious time was running out, but it had seemed as if they hadn't gotten any further than they had when they began their search for the missing ghost boy.

Sam sighed.

"Katrine..." she started, unsure. "I..."

"Please; hush, young one," the elder ensured. "I know you are giving up hope. But do you really want to?"

Sam looked up at her in a state of weariness. Her violet eyes looking up at her for encouragement; for guidance.

"No… I… I don't." Sam looked around. "I'm just not sure that we'll succeed in finding him."

Katrine let out a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"Samantha," she started, crouching down to Sam's height. Sam flinched a little but didn't react so unexpectedly like she would usually do. "I have been cursed to this wretched town for many, many years. I have seen things I know that a young girl like you never would've even imagined. I know all the twists and turns of Silvertia, all the dark corridors and endless walkways drenched in cold, daunting blood. Yet, I must have you know now… One thing I have never given up in my years… That thing is hope."

Sam just looked straight at Katrine's blue eyes.

"I…"

"Hush," Katrine hoarsely whispered. "Now I must tell you."

"Tell me…? Tell me what, Katrine?"

Katrine stood up and brushed some dust off of her jeans. She looked around cautiously before saying,

"Do you recall me mentioning Aleu?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Aleu is no longer here. Nor… Nor any of the other Survivors."

Sam was wide-eyed. She stepped back a little from Katrine, who didn't move at all.

"What do you mean?"

"Young one, don't you see? I am the only Survivor left. The others… The others have passed away long ago."

Sam could swear that she saw a tear dripping out of her eye.

"But…" Sam tried to speak, but Katrine gestured for her to be silenced.

"I have guided you with misinformation… Yet…" she paused, changing the subject. "Young one, I have never lost hope. I know that one day, the skies will dawn upon the new revival of this desolate town. You may see Silvertia as a bloodthirsty city today, yet tomorrow, it may be a working settlement as it was many years before. That is why I am the last Survivor. I have never lost hope. The others… Aleu, Vesna, Tivon… All of them… They have gone in brutal ways that I cannot dare say or even imagine." Katrine winced.

"Katrine…" Sam whispered. She was speechless. What could she say?

But she didn't have time to think.

The candles' cobalt lights blew out…

…And a growl could be heard.

--

_A/N: Heh heh… Oops. Wait… What? What's going on? I really don't get anything here._

_…?_

_Cliffhanger!!_

**_Moonstar5569_**


End file.
